Lily
by Blackrose197666
Summary: Another troubled kid is brought to the Xavier Mansion but there's someone there willing to be his friend. The troubled kid is called Jinx and that friend is Tommy - two OCs from another of my stories who went down so well they're striking out on their own
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Well they went down well in _A Little Complication _so here's Jinx and Tommy striking out on their own. Just a little story (maybe two or three chapters?) about Jinx arriving at the mansion and how he and Tommy met and became friends. No romance… in this story anyway. I'm sure we'll see an appearance from our favourite pyrokinetic and the ice block he's _friends_ with. But don't worry – you don't need to be into Pyro/Iceman stories for this – there's actually no slash in it at all. Sorry if that's your thing. Maybe next time…

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the x-men but I will stake my claim on the uber-cuteness that is Jinx and Tommy so paws off!

**Lily**

Professor Xavier slowly made his way down the corridors of his mansion, smiling at any students he passed. Finally he reached the room – and mutants – he was looking for.

"Scott, Jean," he gave the two a nod. "We're going to have a new student joining us. I'd like for you to go and collect him."

Jean Grey smiled although her boyfriend looked at the professor sceptically.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Scott, don't be so cynical," Jean chastised. Summers just turned to look at her.

"Well as a rule the ones we have to go and _collect_ are runaways and tearaways and troublemakers…"

"Ignore him," Jean waved a hand dismissively. "He's just testy because of the fire alarm this morning."

"This morning? It was the middle of the night," the veteran x-man scowled. "And we know who was behind it," he gave a slight scoff. "That was another one we _collected_."

Jean shook her head and turned to Xavier.

"We're happy to go and get him," she smiled. Xavier gave a small nod.

"We've looked at him before, last year," he handed Jean a folder. "A kid in North Carolina. His power is a kinetic one although I'm not sure of the exact details. Things seem to explode around him."

Jean's expression grew solemn.

"Of course. This was the accident last year – a little boy died."

"His younger brother," Xavier nodded.

"What? He killed his brother?" Scott looked from Jean to the professor. "And you're suggesting we take him _here_?"

"It was an accident Scott," Xavier said calmly. "His parents put him into care. Unfortunately there's been numerous… _incidents_ at the care homes where he has been staying. He's been moved all over the country already," the professor paused as Scott rolled his eyes. "He needs our help Scott. I'm sure you remember what it was like to be afraid of hurting people with your powers."

The male set his jaw but did not argue, giving a relenting bow of the head. Jean gave a definite nod, closing the folder she had quickly skimmed through.

"We'll go get him now," she smiled, making her way to the door. Scott sighed heavily but followed never-the-less. Xavier gave both a smile as they departed, wheeling himself over to the window and looking out over the grounds thoughtfully. He understood Scott's apprehension. This was not going to be an easy addition to the school.

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

Jean's stomach fluttered instinctively as she and Scott walked up to the run down children's home. She always hated places like this. A faint smile pulled at her lips as Scott took her hand reassuringly, reaching out with his other to ring the doorbell.

It took a few moments before the door opened, an elderly lady smiling at them albeit tiredly.

"How can I help?"

"Hi, I'm Jean Grey, this is Scott Summers," Jean returned the smile. "We're here to collect Cayden Poole."

"Ah, of course," the woman sighed wearily. "Come on in."

The two mutants followed the woman into the home. Again Jean's stomach fluttered with a kind of maternal unease as children of all ages wandered past them but there was not the same… _buzz _as there was at the mansion.

"Please excuse the chaos," she turned to the two and smiled as they walked towards the stairs. "Dinner is just passed."

"Sorry, have we come at a bad time?" Jean frowned apologetically.

"No, no, it's fine. Cayden will be up in his room. He hasn't eaten downstairs with the rest of the kids since…well the since the latest accident."

"_Latest _accident?" Scott arched an eyebrow.

"There have been several small incidents before, but no one got hurt," the woman sighed quietly. "But this last accident…"

"How bad was it?" Scott asked, ignoring the harsh look from Jean.

"The other child suffered third degree burns."

"There was fire involved?" Scott rolled his eyes, looking at Jean with a most unimpressed look.

"A computer console exploded, along with the controller the child was holding. There was a small fire as a result."

Jean nodded before Scott could comment further.

"How is Cayden?"

"Quiet," the woman stopped outside one of the bedrooms. "Truth be told he was never the most social child – and to be fair the other children have never made him feel welcome – but he is not malicious. He just…" she sighed quietly. "I can't keep the other children at risk."

Jean nodded understandingly, shooting Scott a look of warning to stay quiet.

"We'll look after him," she said reassuringly. The woman smiled and gave a nod.

"Well, let's go tell him you're here, he should be all packed," she turned and knocked on the door. "Cayden? Can I come in?"

After a brief pause the door opened, the youngster within immediately turning his back on the group. Jean and Scott followed the care home assistant into the room, finding the teenager they were looking for now sitting on the one bed in the room, his knees pulled up to his chest. His head was bowed, his bright purple, floppy hair falling over his eyes. Scott rolled his eyes scornfully at the young mutant's attire – dark, baggy jeans and a T-shirt with a design he couldn't quite make out but he was sure it was offensive. Wrist bands adorned the teenager's arms and two big silver rings were just visible on his clenched hands.

"Cayden, this is Ms Grey and Mr Summers. They're from the school we talked about," the woman sighed as the youngster just stared at the floor. Jean gave her a reassuring smile.

"Can we have a moment alone with him?" she smiled gratefully as the woman nodded and turned to leave. Once the door was safely shut, she walked forward, kneeling down in front of Cayden to try and meet his eye. "Cayden? My name is Jean, this is Scott. You understand why we're here don't you?"

Cayden screwed up his face.

"Because I'm too dangerous to stay here," he muttered. Jean frowned concernedly.

"You're not dangerous Cayden," she said gently. "I know it must feel like that just now but we can help you."

The youngster scoffed.

"I doubt it," he reached across his bed and grabbed up a magazine. His eyes widened as the magazine slipped from his fingers, hovering across the room to Jean who took a hold of it, eyebrow arched pointedly.

"You know, when we say School for Gifted Youngsters, we really do mean _gifted_," she smiled reassuringly. "It's not just a euphemism for troublemakers."

Cayden frowned heavily.

"So…what…you have a whole school filled with freaks?"

"We prefer not to use the term _freaks_," Jean smiled, handing the youngster a brochure for the school. "And as you can see it's a rather nice establishment."

Cayden shrugged but Jean saw his eyes light up a little as he looked through the leaflet in his hand.

"It looks ok…" he lowered the leaflet. "Do I have to go?"

"No one's here to force you," Jean shook her head. "But you will be moved from this facility regardless," she offered him an encouraging smile. "If you choose to come with us you will have your own room, excellent teaching facilities, top health care," the telekinetic arched an eyebrow. "And access to a room that you can do whatever you want in. It's indestructible. We can help you understand these power surges you have Cayden, help you control them."

The teenager frowned thoughtfully, bowing his head again, fidgeting with one of the rings on his finger. Scott sighed quietly.

"I thought you'd already discussed this with the supervisors here," he stated, shrugging slightly as Jean shot him a scornful look. Cayden ignored Scott and looked back up at Jean.

"Can I take Lily?"

"Lily?" Jean frowned slightly. Cayden pointed at the tank on the nearby table. Jean stood, making her way towards the tank, jumping back with a startled cry as she saw the large black spider hiding behind a small log. "Oh! Lily's a spider."

"You have a spider called Lily?" Scott arched an eyebrow. Cayden scowled defensively, standing up and making his way over to the tank.

"She's a Brazilian Black tarantula, and I called her Lily cause of the silver streak on her back – you know, like Lily Munster – look," he pointed at the silver patch, smiling faintly at Jean. "Don't worry – she's friendly."

"Friendly?" Jean laughed nervously. She hadn't been one who considered herself scared of spiders before but this wasn't your average little house spider. "She's big."

"She's not fully grown yet I don't think. She's only about four inches, they can grow up to about six."

Jean arched an eyebrow.

"How long have you had her?"

"Just a couple of years. I got her just before…" the teenager's smile faded. "Just before I left home."

Jean nodded understandingly.

"You can take Lily."

"He can?" Scott frowned. Jean looked at him with a shrug.

"Students are allowed small animals that can be kept within cages in their bedroom."

"But…"

"This tank is no bigger than some of the hamster or gerbil cages some of the students have," Jean stated matter-of-factly before turning to Cayden with a smile on her lips. "Just reassure me there's no chance of her getting _out _of that tank."

Cayden shook his head.

"She's never escaped. The tanks secure."

Jean laughed.

"I hope so," she looked at the youngster expectantly. "Are you all packed?"

Cayden nodded and pointed to the medium sized holdall and the pretty empty looking rucksack at the end of the bed.

"The holdall's mine, the rucksack's Lily's," he managed to crack a faint smile. Jean frowned slightly at how little luggage the boy had.

"Lily has her own luggage?" Scott arched his eyebrow dubiously. Cayden scowled.

"Does this wonder school of yours have a supply of gut-loaded crickets?" he muttered. Jean held up a hand to stop the quarrelling.

"Scott, can you get the bags please?" she smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. "Cayden, you can take Lily. Now come on. The professor is waiting for us."

"Actually…" Cayden screwed up his face a little. "I prefer to be called Jinx. My… eh…" he bowed his head again and fidgeted with his rings. "My little brother came up with it."

Jean nodded.

"Very well, _Jinx_. Grab Lily and let's get going."

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

"Well, here we are," Jean looked over her shoulder into the backseat at Cayden as Scott drove slowly up the mansion's long driveway. The teenager looked out the car window with an arched eyebrow.

"It's big…" he muttered, as much to himself as to anyone else. Jean smiled softly.

"You'll find your way about easily enough," she said reassuringly, glancing at her watch as Scott drew the car into the large garage. "It's quite late now so I'll just take you to your room and let you get settled in. I'll show you around in the morning if that's ok?"

"Fine," Cayden shrugged. Scott rolled his eyes at the youngster's nonchalant attitude but kept quiet to save himself from one of his girlfriend's stern looks. With the car safely parked up the three clambered from the car, Cayden still cradling the spider tank he had held on his lap the whole journey, covered with an old, dark towel. Rounding the car to the trunk, he balanced the tank with one arm as he pulled out his rucksack and flung it over his shoulder. He reached to pick up the holdall but Jean stopped him.

"I'll take that," she picked up the bag before Cayden could argue, arching an eyebrow at him with an amused smile. "You just carry that tank with both hands thank you."

Cayden managed a meek smile in return, giving a small nod as he obediently took a firmer hold of the tank. Bowing his head slightly he followed Scott and Jean from the garage into the mansion, unable to keep the apprehensive look from his face as they wandered down the grand hallways. The place was… _huge_…

"I'll go and do the curfew run," Scott said quietly to Jean as they reached the stairway. Jean nodded and gestured for Cayden to follow her up the stairs.

"Here you go," she said, turning to offer the teenager a smile as she opened one of the numerous doors in one of the seemingly never-ending corridors. Cayden took a deep, apprehensive breath and followed Jean into the room. He couldn't help but give a surprised blink. The room was spacious but still cosy. The furniture looked to be of the highest quality, as did the bedding. He was so used to battered old furniture and threadbare bedcovers...

"Thanks…" Cayden gave Jean a small, appreciative smile as she gently laid the bag she had carried at the foot of the bed. The teenager glanced around the room before making his way over to the chest of drawers, taking the towel from the top of the tank and laying it on the top of the chest before resting the tank on the towel. Dropping the rucksack down in front of him, he unzipped it quickly and pulled out a small plastic box. Jean couldn't help but squirm as the youngster pulled out a worm, quickly opening the tank and dropping it in front of the log at the side. She laughed softly to cover the gasp that escaped her lips as suddenly large, hairy legs appeared from under the log. Cayden smirked as he glanced at the teacher and saw she had looked away.

"I'm sorry, I'll admit I'm not good with small creatures," Jean admitted. "Especially ones with eight legs."

"I assure you, she's harmless," Cayden returned his attention to the tank. Jean too looked back round but kept her gaze fixed on the teenager and well away from the tank.

"I'll come back in the morning and show you round. We can go and meet with Professor Xavier; he's in charge around here. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired, I think I'll just go to bed," Cayden nodded.

"Well, have a good sleep and I'll see you in the morning," Jean offered him one last smile and made her way towards the door, shutting it gently behind her. Cayden glanced at the door before looking back at the spider tank. The faintest of smiles pulled on his lips as he watched Lily crawl slowly back under her log into her dark hiding place in the corner of the tank. Cayden gave a wry smile and glanced around his new bedroom. If only he had a dark corner he could hide in. his smile faded as his pet spider disappeared into the darkness. He'd wanted to pick her up but as much as he did not want to admit it he knew he felt a bit anxious and he did not want to spook her. The last thing he needed was to lose her on his first night. She could be fast when she wanted…

The sound of voices out in the corridor tore Cayden's attention away from Lily's tank. Against his better judgement the teenager crossed the floor to the door, listening as the voices past his room but seemed to pause a little down the corridor.

"Did you see the new kid?"

"Yeah – Summers and Dr Grey picked him up in person. You know what that means…"

"That he's trouble."

"I wonder what he can do?"

"Must be bad if he got his own room."

"Just what we need… another freak…"

Cayden inhaled a sharp breath and turned away from the door, blinking rapidly against the hot sensation suddenly burning at his eyes. Of course the words hadn't bothered him. They were the same words he heard all the time when he was taken somewhere new – or mostly the same. He hadn't thought it would be any different just because of a few kind words from that red-headed woman…


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Time for some cameo appearances me thinks. Now, if you know my normal stories you'll probably be able to dream up the background story for the scenes below, if not, then don't worry – you don't need to understand anything that's going onto anyone other than Cayden. You just may find amusement in it if you do.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the x-men but I will stake my claim on the uber-cuteness that is Jinx and Tommy so paws off!

**Lily**

Cayden scowled down at the textbook in front of him, trying to concentrate on the math problem staring back at him but try as he might he could not block out the whispering and the sniggering. He could not make out what they were saying – but the not-so-subtle glances in his direction gave away what the whispers were about. It was not anything the teenager was not used to. Purple hair and silvery-lilac eyes frequently brought about whispers and sniggers and…

He'd only been there a few days but already he was already sick of it all. Sick of the looks, the whispers, the _accidental _knocks in the corridors. It really was no different to the dozens of other homes he had lived in. When he was not in classes Cayden found it easier to just stay in his room. He had a ton of homework to catch up on anyway. His schooling had suffered somewhat from being moved from one home to another.

Dr Grey had offered to take him for another meeting with the man they called the Professor but he had so far declined. Their first meeting had been brief – merely a welcome to the school, a promise things would be different here, reassurance that they would get to the bottom of his… _accidents._ Cayden did not want to get to the bottom of them – he was quite happy to just forget all about them…

"Ok then, class dismissed," Miss Munro's voice followed the sound of the end-of-class bell. "Enjoy your lunch."

A quiet sigh escaped Cayden's lips as the class erupted into noise and started to pack away their books. Break times really were not that much more fun than classes…

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

Cayden sighed heavily as he wandered out into the fast darkening garden late that evening, making his way to the darkest shade under the nearby trees. Quickly he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He had actually quit – he quit all the time but whenever he moved some place new…

"Fuck…" he muttered as he flicked open his lighter, only for it to splutter out a tiny spark and die. Frantically the teenager tried to ignite the lighter but with no success. He let out a started gasp as suddenly a trail of fire twirled in front of him, forming a small fireball.

"You do realise you're not allowed to smoke on school grounds right?" a voice came from Cayden's left. He looked towards the voice and found a male, a couple of years older than him. The other male offered him a faint smirk as he raised his own lit cigarette to his lips.

"Mr Summers mentioned it," Cayden replied, returning his attention to the fireball. Although still apprehensive he quickly leant forward with his cigarette in his mouth and lit it. As suddenly as it had appeared the fireball twirled away again, hovering now beside the other male. The older student arched an eyebrow as Cayden inhaled deeply.

"You're new right?"

"Came here on Saturday," Cayden replied quietly, unable to help being a little intimidated by the other male. There was just something about his stance and demeanour…

Both boys looked up as a sudden burst of noise drifted towards them. The older of the two groaned softly as three identical girls scurried past them, giggling loudly and talking at a hundred miles an hour. Cayden arched an eyebrow, tilting his head in slight bemusement as he watched the girls depart.

"I wouldn't bother freak, they're well out of your league," a distaining voice came from behind Cayden. The student bristled as a couple of his classmates pushed past him. Instinctively he opened his mouth to object – to say that he hadn't been looking at them that way – but he shut it again quickly. What was the point?

"What would Mr Summers say if he caught you out here _smoking_?" the other classmate smirked, the two pausing in front of Cayden. The purple-haired teen scowled but otherwise stayed silent.

"If Mr Summers finds out anyone's been smoking you two are gonna need to be fireproof," a highly un-amused voice came from the side. The confident smirks the two newcomers wore faded quickly as they glanced at the source before givingswift, apologetic nods and scurrying off. The older student rolled his eyes, blowing a billow of smoke out above his head.

"Ignore them," he muttered, taking another drag from his cigarette before pulling the sparks into another fireball in his hand and throwing the now discarded cigarette to the ground. "For a school full of mutants there's a helluva lot of narrow-minded motherfuckers in this place."

Cayden took a sharp breath. _Mutant_. It was the first time he'd heard the word used so freely – and the first time he'd heard at all it in several months. He glanced to the side and watched for a moment as the other student twirled his little fireball around in his fingers. Aside from Dr Grey's trick with the magazine the day they had collected him – which Cayden was starting to think had been his imagination – it was the only display of… well… the only _different _thing he had see since arriving at the school for gifted youngsters. Cayden opened his mouth to reply but he shut it quickly as the other male suddenly screwed his face up.

"Case in point…" he muttered, turning to walk away. "Fuck off Drake."

Cayden looked to his side to see another male walking towards them. He appeared ages with his smoking companion but was a fair bit taller than the two of them.

"John, _please_, can we just talk?" the newcomer pleaded, walking quickly past Cayden to try and catch up with the departing male. He paused however as the other boy – John – stopped suddenly, turning a fierce gaze on the newcomer.

"I think you made yourself perfectly clear already," John sneered. Cayden hastily took one last drag of his cigarette and dropped it under his boot as the other boy offered his reply – inaudible to Cayden but apparently it did not appease John any. Realising this was an argument best not to get involved in, Cayden turned on his heel and made his way back to his room. A frown pulled on his brow as he found his door slightly ajar.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" his eyes widened as he opened the door and found the two students who had scurried away from him outside – or scurried away from John at least – were now standing over Lily's cage, knocking on it loudly. The taller of the two looked up.

"Or what? Gonna set Pyro on us?" he sneered as his companion continued to knock on the tank. Cayden bristled, his fists balling up and his jaw setting but he knew there was not much he could do. Not withstanding the fact there was two of them; both intruders were taller and bigger than him. He failed to notice that the two had actually stopped tampering with the tank and were looking at him apprehensively, nor did he notice the air crackle around him…

All three boys jumped as the alarm clock gave a loud, violent crackle. Cayden took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly and shaking his head. He looked up sharply as there was a knock on the door.

"Is everything alright in here?" Jean Grey asked from the doorway, looking over the three boys in turn. The two other students nodded quickly.

"Yeah, sure."

"Everything's fine."

Dr Grey regarded the two thoughtfully before turning to the newest student.

"Cayden?"

"Fine," he muttered in agreement, nodding. Jean arched an eyebrow before turning her attention back to the other two.

"It's almost curfew boys," she said pointedly, giving each a small nod as they quickly left the room. Taking a quiet but deep breath she looked back to Cayden. "You're sure everything's ok?"

"I'm sure," Cayden nodded, a little more convincingly this time. Jean frowned slightly but gave a conceding nod.

"Ok then, I'll let you get some sleep. I'll see you in class tomorrow," she offered the student a warm smile. "Good night."

"Night," Cayden managed a polite reply. As soon as the door shut behind the teacher however he let out a long, tired sigh, slumping down to sit on the foot of his bed beside Lily's tank. Reaching out slowly he tentatively opened the lid and lifted up the log Lily usually hid under. He frowned slightly as the large spider shirked back but was relieved to see her move at least. Carefully he replaced the log and went to his rucksack, pulling out some of Lily's food and dropping it by where she hid before closing the lid again. For several moments he sat and watched, hoping she would crawl out of her hiding place but she stayed where she was. Finally the teenager clambered to his feet to go and change for bed. Perhaps tomorrow would be a little better…


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **First off I must apologise for the delay in getting this chapter up – as always with my delays it involved men with guitars and pyrotechnics and there was a tent in a field with my name on it… anyway… back to Jinxy… Short I'm afraid but wanted to get something posted.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the x-men but I will stake my claim on the uber-cuteness that is Jinx and Tommy so paws off!

**Lily**

"The freak has a pet _spider_."

Thomas Bailey rolled his eyes as he followed his roommate to sit down at the breakfast table, the other mutant immediately laying into the new student.

"Really?" one of the other boys screwed up his face. "Well that's just weird."

"Lots of people have pet spiders," Thomas pointed out diplomatically.

"Yeah – _weird _people," his roommate replied, earning small chuckles from the other boys. Thomas just sighed quietly and tucked into his breakfast. He got along well enough with his roommate but it was days like this he remembered he could be a bit… well… a bit of an ass. So far as Thomas knew the new kid had done nothing to deserve the stick he was getting from the other students other than the fact he looked a little… _different_. But that was not exactly unusual at the Xavier School – plenty of the kids had brightly coloured hair and strange shades of eyes. Although none of them lined those eyes with eyeliner. Not the boys anyway. Nor did many of the students wear big leather wrist bands or T-shirts with… well Thomas wasn't quite sure what the logos were or who the bands were but they never looked friendly…

Glancing up Thomas noticed that the new student had entered the room and was heading in their direction. For a brief moment he caught his eye and tried to offer him a small smile but the other boy looked away too quickly. With a quiet sigh Thomas returned his attention to his food but found himself looking up again as there was a sudden scuffling noise next to him.

"Watch where you're going," his roommate sneered at the new kid as he straightened himself up again, obviously tripped up by one of the boys sitting at the table. Thomas rolled his eyes as the new boy just curled his lip up and carried on his way, his companions sniggering away to themselves. There really was no need to be so nasty…

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

Cayden let out a quiet sigh as he made his way into his first class of the day. Jean Grey offered him a smile from behind her desk to which he responded with a small nod. Taking his usual seat off to the side he pulled his books from his bag, unable to help the faint scowl that pulled on his face as more students filtered in. Quickly Cayden returned his attention to the textbook in front of him as the classroom filled.

"Right class, settle down," their teacher stood from her seat and easily brought the students under control. "Now we're going to take a break from the textbooks today. I want you all to get into pairs and do some of the work yourself for a change!"

Cayden rolled his eyes. Working in pairs? Just what he needed. Scowling heavily he shut his textbook, crossing his arms as he just stared ahead to the front of the class. He supposed Dr Grey would just assign him a partner – whoever was left alone after the rest of the students currently shuffling around the room had paired off…

"Hi…" a quiet voice startled Cayden from his glowering. "Are you still needing a partner?"

Cayden looked to his left to find one of the male students hovering by the spare desk next to him. He couldn't help but scowl as he recognised the boy as being one of the kids from breakfast.

"I guess," Cayden grumbled, gesturing reluctantly to the seat next to him. It was not worth the hassle of saying no…

"I'm Tommy," the newcomer smiled. Cayden arched an eyebrow.

"Jinx," he grumbled, glancing up at Dr Grey as she handed out sheets of paper explaining their assignment. The other boy took a quiet, unsure breath.

"So… where are you from?"

"Carolina," Cayden replied flatly, keeping his gaze fixed to the front of the class. Thomas blinked slightly at the abrupt tone but reminded himself that it was to be expected – none of his classmates had bothered to be nice to the new student.

"North or South?" he asked patiently but again he earned a curled up lip.

"Does it matter?"

Thomas frowned slightly.

"I was only asking," he responded curtly, turning his attention to the instruction sheet Dr Grey had handed out. Cayden took a deep breath, twirling a pen around his fingers.

"North."

The other kid turned and smiled.

"I'm from upstate – an hour or so away," he said before his face grew more serious. "Look, just ignore Carl."

"Which one's Carl?" Cayden shrugged defensively.

"The blonde one," Thomas offered another small smile. "Look I share a room with him and he ain't normally like this. I'm sure they'll all get bored quickly enough."

Again Cayden shrugged.

"Not bothering me," he replied flippantly, taking the instruction sheet from Thomas. "So what we gotta do?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the x-men but I will stake my claim on the uber-cuteness that is Jinx and Tommy so paws off!

**Lily**

Cayden stifled a yawn as he made his way towards his first class the next day. He was not used to actually having to get up for classes everyday – the disadvantage of _living _in your school…

The student walked down the busy corridors of the Xavier mansion, thinking ahead through his classes. He had Math first – not his favourite subject. Then he had ethics with the Professor. _Really _not his favourite subject. In fact, Cayden did not like any of his classes that day. Although on the plus side he had no classes with _Carl_. Nor did he have any classes with Thomas he realised, with a slight frown. Not that it bothered him. The other kid had been nice enough he supposed; they had gotten along ok working on Dr Grey's assignment…

Hushed whispers tore Cayden's attention back to his surroundings. There was something about the tone of the whispers that made the student's stomach turn. Frowning slightly he tried to make out what was being said…

"…Catherine said that…"

"…but I heard th…"

"…that's not the…"

Taking a deep breath and keeping his head down Cayden quickly carried on down the corridor to his class, slipping into the room and going straight to his desk. Although he never looked up at his classmates the silence that fell over the room did not go unnoticed. Cayden could not help but frown. Surely they hadn't found out about…

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

Thomas paused on the edge of the basketball court that evening, trying to catch his breath but his team mates did not seem to want to co-operate.

"Tommy!" Carl yelled, throwing the ball at his roommate who only just managed to catch it. Taking a deep breath Thomas dribbled the ball forward, passing it to one of his players waiting under the basket who in turn scored. Again Thomas paused to rest but this time several of his companions did the same. The moment of peace was brief though.

"Hey Carl," one of the other boys jerked his head towards the other side of the court. Thomas sighed quietly as he saw Cayden walking past.

"Just leave him alone, yeah?" he pleaded quietly to Carl but the other boy just grinned wickedly. Quickly gathering up the ball he bounced it up and down a couple of times.

"Scotty – heads up!" he called to one of the boys near the edge of the court but the ball went sailing past – hitting Cayden square on the side of the head. "Oh, sorry," Carl smirked as the boys around him sniggered. "Accident."

Cayden did not even bother to look round, he just carried on walking. Carl's smirk turned into a scowl.

"Hey!" one of the other boys shouted. "He's talking to you!"

"Yeah freak," Carl called. "It's rude to ignore people."

"Oh leave him alone," Thomas frowned, starting to make his way off court.

"Tommy!" Carl grabbed his roommate's arm. "Where the hell are you going?"

"I'm going to go and talk to Jinx," Thomas replied simply.

"We're in the middle of a game!" Carl objected.

"I'm not in the mood to play any more," Thomas shrugged off the other boy and turned away.

"But what the hell do you wanna speak to that freak for?" Carl crossed his arms. Thomas rolled his eyes, glancing back briefly over his shoulder.

"Oh grow up," he said bluntly before walking away. Carl stared after him, his eyes widening in surprise before they narrowed angrily. That new kid was not going to get away with turning his friend against him.

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

Thomas finally caught up with Cayden in the mansion's library, finding the other boy hiding at the back.

"Hey…" Thomas offered a warm, friendly smile. Cayden however scowled heavily and turned away. Thomas's smile faded. "Look, really just ignore them, they'll get bored."

"Sure they will," Cayden grumbled, starting to walk away. Thomas frowned.

"Cayden wait!" he reached out and lightly grabbed Cayden's arm. "Are you ok?"

Cayden's eyes narrowed as he jerked his arm away.

"Oh I'm fine," he grumbled. "I'm having a great day listening to everyone gossip about how the new kid killed his brother."

Thomas's eyes widened.

"What?" he blinked rapidly. "I di… wh…"

"Oh drop the act!" Cayden scowled. "That's why you were being all nice yesterday – so you could pass on information to your friends."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Thomas objected. "I didn't speak about you to anyone yesterday."

"Oh come on – I know the drill here. There's always something weird about new kids that Summers and Dr Grey bring in so you were digging for information."

"No!" Thomas shook his head insistently. "I swear, I…"

"So the day after I tell you where I'm from everyone knows my past?" Cayden curled up his lip, crossing his arms defensively. "Leave me alone."

Thomas opened his mouth to object to Cayden walking away but he could not think what to say. With a quiet sigh he watched the other student leave, a concerned frown on his face. He had heard some of his classmates talking about Cayden that day but he had just ignored it, thinking it was the same old gossiping and sniping that had followed the new boy since he had came to the mansion.

Apparently he had been wrong.

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

Cayden scowled heavily as he made his way outside, delving into his pocket and pulling out his cigarettes and a lighter. Quickly lighting the cigarette, he inhaled deeply, blowing the smoke out above his head as he leant back against one of the trees at the edge of the mansion's grounds. This had been a terrible idea – he never should have moved there. Of course everyone would find out about his brother… everyone always found out about his brother…

Throwing his third cigarette under his boot the student reluctantly turned back towards the mansion, the cold evening air finally getting to him. Keeping his head down he made his way towards his bedroom, slipping inside and shutting the door behind him. With a heavy sigh he collapsed onto his bed, lying and staring up at the ceiling for several minutes.

"Well at least you'll still love me, eh Lills?" the boy smiled wryly, rolling off his bed and turning towards the spider tank. The smile faded quickly however, his eyes widening as he found the small lid on the top of the tank open. Quickly diving forward he removed the whole lid, lifting the log his pet tarantula normally hid under but she was nowhere to be found. Closing his eyes tightly he ran his hands through his hair before frantically beginning a search of his room, silently hoping that Lily – who for all her size could move at some speed – had not made it out of the room. She was fast enough to have ran out in the brief moment it had taken for him to open and shut his bedroom door…

The loud shriek that drifted down the corridor gave Cayden his answer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the x-men but I will stake my claim on the uber-cuteness that is Jinx and Tommy so paws off!

**Lily**

Cayden rushed down the corridor in the direction of the scream, finding a number of students already gathered outside one of the bedrooms much further down the hallway. Three girls – the identical triplets – stood backed up against the wall opposite the open bedroom door, squirming and pulling faces as some of their classmates gathered around.

"Oh my God!" one of them shrieked.

"It was _huge_," cried another.

"And _hairy_!" the last one shuddered, crossing her arms and hunching her shoulders. Cayden slowed his approach, breathing a sigh of relief that Lily had surely been found. His expression darkened again however as he found Carl was standing next to the girls.

"Ah _Jinx_," the other student offered a knowing – and somewhat smug – grin. "Missing something?"

Cayden took a sharp breath.

"Where is she?" he asked calmly.

"She?" one of the triplets blinked, looking at Cayden.

"Is it _your_ spider?" one of her sisters asked.

Cayden nodded and opened his mouth to reply but Carl spoke up first.

"Yup. That would be Jinx's pet tarantula. Not my pet of choice but…"

Cayden gave Carl a brief glare but quickly returned his attention to the girls.

"Yes, she's mine. If you just tell me where you last saw her I'll go catch her and get her back in her cage."

The two girls exchanged a quick glance before looking back at Cayden.

"I'm so sorry," the girl nearest Cayden said quietly, wringing her hands anxiously. "I got such a scare I just… I eh… I dropped a textbook on her."

Cayden's heart sank. Quickly he rushed into the triplet's room, his eyes immediately falling on the large, heavy textbook on the floor. Inhaling sharply he lifted the book, swallowing back the nausea that swelled through him. Lily lay crumpled on the floor, one leg twitching but only slightly.

"What's going on here?" Mr Summers' voice drifted in from the corridor. Cayden closed his eyes briefly, cursing under his breath.

"There's a rogue spider on the loose," Carl's voice followed Summers'. "Or there _was_ anyway."

Cayden heard a quiet sigh and footsteps heading in his direction.

"I thought we made it clear that you were supposed to keep your pet secure," the teacher said sternly.

"She was," Cayden replied tightly, looking down at Lily helplessly as her leg gave another faint twitch. Carefully he picked the spider up, cradling her small, battered body, alarmed by just how limp she felt. There was a quiet scoff.

"So I see."

Cayden clenched his jaw against the unsuitable retort on his lips, not taking his eyes off the spider in his hands, desperately looking for any more signs of life.

But there were none.

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

A soft, tired sigh escaped Cayden's lips as he lay and stared up at the ceiling. He tried to close his eyes but once again all he saw was Lily's crumpled body and Carl's smug grin. The other boy was lucky he had been holding Lily or that grin would have been wiped from his face. Hearing a gentle knock on the door he rolled his head lazily to the side but made no effort to answer it. Returning his gaze to the ceiling, he completely ignored the second knock. He took a deep breath as he heard the door creak open.

"Jinx?" a soft voice drifted from the doorway. With a quiet groan Cayden pulled himself into a sitting position looking at Thomas tiredly. The other boy gently closed the door behind him and looked back at Cayden concernedly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Cayden grumbled, looking down and fidgeting with the ring on his finger. Thomas took a deep breath.

"I really am sorry about Lily. I know…" he sighed. "I think we both know who opened the cage. I think he did it 'cause I blew him off earlier to come after you."

Cayden inhaled deeply, scowling heavily but he did not comment further. Thomas glanced over at Lily's cage, frowning sadly at the limp form only just visible under the log. For a moment he regarded the spider thoughtfully, worrying his bottom lip before giving himself a determined nod.

"May I?" he gestured towards the tank. Cayden looked up frowning briefly before giving a shrug. Thomas made his way towards the tank, glancing over it to figure out how to open it. "You remember my power from the danger room right? How I can bring inanimate stuff to life?"

Cayden arched an eyebrow, looking at the tank – at the log in particular.

"What? You gonna try and give me a pet log?"

"No, I…" Thomas took a deep breath. "Look you can't tell _anyone _about this – I've been working on it with the Professor. I don't know if it'll work… she's quite big…"

Cayden just frowned in confusion as Thomas reached into the tank, resting all his fingers from both hands on Lily's back. For several moments he just watched but suddenly his eyes widened as one of Lily's legs twitched. Leaping to his feet he rounded his bed to stand over the tank next to Thomas.

"What…" he started but he quickly shut his mouth as he saw the concentration on the other boys face. Instead he just watched as Lily's leg twitched again, and another twitched. Suddenly the large spider pushed up on all eight legs, stumbling slightly as Thomas pulled away. Doing a small circle Lily seemed to calm, settling down half under her log. Cayden stared down at her in disbelief.

"Is she… I mean," he looked quickly to Thomas who now sat on his bed before turning back to Lily, reaching down and stroking her leg, earning another little shuffle from the spider. Quickly he closed the lid, double checking all the clasps. With a broad smile he turned back to Thomas only to find he now lay down, eyes closed. Panic flitted through Cayden's eyes.

"He's just sleeping," a soft voice came from the doorway. Cayden spun round to find Dr Grey standing in his room. The teacher offered him a reassuring smile although with a serious note on her face. "The Professor realised what he was doing. He's not supposed to attempt this alone."

Cayden glanced back over at the other student.

"He'll be ok though, right?"

Jean nodded as she crossed the room to give the sleeping student a closer look.

"He'll just be exhausted – he's never even _tried_ to revive anything as big as Lily, only small bugs," Jean looked at Cayden solemnly. "You realise you cannot tell _anyone _about this? If people found out what Tommy can do…" she inhaled deeply. "Of course he is getting stronger – and will continue to do so – but we have no way to tell what his limits would be. If people were to find out about this…"

"They'd want him to try and revive humans," Cayden nodded understandingly. What kind of a strain would that put on the other boy if reviving a spider tired him so? "I won't tell a sole."

Jean gave an appreciative nod.

"Thank you."

Cayden glanced back over at Lily.

"What about her? What do we tell people?"

Jean looked thoughtfully at the tank.

"We'll just have to say she wasn't as badly injured as first thought," she replied. "I'll drop in and see the triplets and tell them Lily's moving a little and we're hoping she'll make a full recovery after all. You'll just have to keep her hidden a while so no-one sees just how _quick_ her recovery is," she held up a hand as Cayden smiled wryly. "Carl and his companions will not be bothering you, I assure you. The triplets might come along though," she arched an eyebrow. "They are truly horrified by what happened."

"I know," Cayden nodded. Even earlier he had not really been able to be mad at the girls. "I'll keep the cage covered and tell them the dark'll help her get better."

Jean gave a nod.

"That'll keep the girls satisfied," she said, smiling faintly. "I don't think they'll be too upset at not getting to see her. They're not good with…creepy crawlies."

"I gathered," Cayden arched an eyebrow in Lily's direction. Jean looked back over at Thomas.

"You know Tommy came to see me today. He asked to be moved to another room… apparently he doesn't want to share with Carl anymore."

"Oh… right…" Cayden blinked in surprise.

"Would you like me to wake him up and get him back to his room?" Jean asked. "Well… one of the spare rooms until we get him sorted out properly."

"No, it's ok," Cayden waved a hand dismissively. "Just… leave him. He looks comfortable."

The corners of Jean's lips twitched.

"That's probably him out for the rest of the night…" she pointed out. Cayden shrugged.

"I'll crash on the floor."

"Ok," Jean smiled broadly, knowing the student would not look up to see it. "I'll go and look you out some spare bedding. And I'm sure there's a spare mattress or cot or something you can have for the night."

"Thanks," Cayden nodded although still he did not look up. Dr Grey made her way back to the door, pausing in the doorway to cast one more satisfied look over the room before leaving. Only when the door shut softly behind the teacher did Cayden let out a small sigh. Wandering over to Lily's tank he retrieved her food from the bag by the side, dropping a cricket in through the small flap on the lid, securing it shut again and checking it twice. He watched with a small smile as the spider crept out from under her log, grabbing her prey and retreating back under the log quickly. For several minutes he watched before grabbing a towel from where he had dropped it on the floor earlier and covering the tank.

"She ok?"

Cayden jumped slightly, tuning quickly to look at Thomas. The other boy started to pull himself into a sitting position but Cayden gestured for him to stay.

"Lie down, you look exhausted!"

"I'm fine," Thomas objected but he lay back down tiredly. Taking a deep breath, he blinked rapidly to clear his tired, blurry eyes. "So, how is she?"

"She's fine," Cayden smiled timidly at the other boy as he looked at him. "Thank you."

"No problem," Thomas returned a warm, albeit tired smile. "What are friends for?"

Cayden glanced away sheepishly for a moment. Upon turning back to reply however he found the other boy had fallen asleep again but he did not mind. For the first time in a long, _long _time Cayden Poole's lips curled into a comfortable, contented, _happy _smile…

x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x

**Author's Note: **And there we go. No drama, just two boys meeting and becoming friends. I hope you approve of Tommy's power – I know it is a little extreme but in both stories I've used him in I've had him kidnapped because of his powers so I needed something serious.

I am still in a state of semi-retirement from writing fanfics but there's still too many Pyro/Iceman and Pyro/Multiple Man and …well… Multiple Man/Colossis ideas buzzing about my head so don't suppose that'll last too long…

Thanks for reading!


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